Crime in Memphis, TN

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Over the years, voting in Memphis has been an interesting thing, to say the least. Dead people voting, well criminals posing as dead people, people voting from outside their districts, felons voting, etc. tend to no longer surprise anyone. In the past, I helped uncover irregularities in the voting process in Shelby County and as a result, there have been many changes that helped ensure the integrity of the data. (You may remember the Roland V Ford race where several people got indicted and punished after I did my analysis.)

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." At some point, you would think the election commission would have figured this stuff out, but it appears that is not the case. Already this year, we've had issues of people being assigned the wrong districts, problems with the uploads of the participating voter lists in early voting, and now the possibility of more problems with the data from the EC.

Since no-one seems to know what happens to the votes when they are cast, what the process is for tabulation, or what safeguards are in place to make sure that a person gets to vote, if they are legally entitled to do so, and hopefully, only once per election, I felt compelled to raise the question.

I am politically active in several races, during most election cycles. Usually, I assist conservative, Republican candidates, but sometimes Democrats. Typically, my role is to do database analysis, create websites, robocalls (yeah, I know you were naked, dripping bathwater, when you got the last one), etc. This requires having access to the voter's history and demographics, which is available from the EC. This file contains voter's demographic information, and about 10 years of their voting history and is updated all year long.

Due to my familiarity with this data, I often run queries against it for different candidates, and sometimes I find stuff. Years ago, on a whim, I automated a web search on the voters who appeared to be 90 years of age or more and ultimately found over 10,000 dead voters who were still on the rolls. I raised that issue with the EC and was told I didn't know what I was talking about. Those have since been removed and I believe the EC is doing a much better job at purging those. I also looked at the age of the voters and found that we had some who were over 200 years of age. Well, those have also been cleaned up. But, I also noted that there appeared to be several duplicate voters in the database. I recently checked again to see if that was still the case, and to my surprise - yep. This time, I went a step further and checked to see if anyone may have voted more than once in a single election. It appears that has happened on several occassions.

For the public's edification and enlightenment, and hopefully for the EC to take corrective measures, I have created a webpage that shows three screen shots of a spreadsheet with elections highlighted, where the voter appears to have voted twice. I am not saying they did, only that the data appears to show they did. There is also a link on this page that will allow you to download the spreadsheet that contains the data.

Making this information public will hopefully cause the EC to do what is necessary to prevent this from happening in the future. It would really be nice to be able to walk in the voting booth and feel like everything was as it should be, and not be wondering when the lawsuits were going to start.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Most Dangerous City in the United States is . . . CHICAGO! But, you won't see it in the published "Most Dangerous" lists. They show (NA not available) as in they don't report how bad it is. In New York, if your car is burglarized, and the value of the items stolen is less than $1,000.00, they don't take a report. In Memphis, we take a report on stolen change....

Last week, I was asked to compile a report for the media on repeat offenders. That renewed my interest in this issue, so I thought I'd make another run at making people in the Memphis area mad. Hopefully, mad enough to contact their senators and representatives. So far, I've only gotten them to introduce a bill to study the issue. Isn't that great. Nothing like addressing the problem, head on, huh. Maybe we should hand out flyers with all the judges, senators and representative's home addresses? I know, we could give them the information when they get released from jail on the 100.00 bond, or ROR.
I have railed against our "Criminal Justice System" for many years because it is criminal, there is rarely any justice and it doesn't really work. Law enforcement agencies do a really good job of arresting people for committing crimes and then the wheels come off the machine. The courts turn these thugs out at warp speed and the legislature looks the other way. I understand that people make mistakes. I mean, I think I made one once, or twice, or . . .well you know what I mean. But, why is it they (the courts and legislature) haven't done something to deal with the "Urban Terrorists" among us? I know it costs, but what if they started with the worst of the worst and worked their way down. I mean really, 320 times? If we took the worst of the worst off the streets, we could cut our crime significantly, while sending a message to the others. I think I have a couple of good possible solution for this particular issue.
There needs to be an emphasis on modifying behavior, not on rehabilitation. A little applied psychology would go a long way in changing behavior, if we simply applied it. Currently, we arrest these guys and they go to court, get ROR (released on recognizance), a low bond, or in rare instances are actually kept in jail, pending trial. If we had a sentencing matrix that ramped up the punishment for every subsequent conviction, pretty soon we would see fewer repeat offenders. Those who weren't in jail would decide to go to a more "criminal friendly" environment.
We actually already have a swiss cheese, sentencing matrix for DUI offenders that delineates the punishment for convictions. The problem is that the courts and prosecutors can play "Let's Make a Deal" and skirt the system. However, it does define the punishment and appears to have had some effect on those who might otherwise keep drinking and driving. I propose we have a matrix that deals with misdemeanor charges - regardless of the charge. A first time conviction might result in 6 months probation, second conviction - one year probation with monitoring that the offender pays for, third conviction = 1 week in jail, fourth conviction - 1 month in jail and year of monitoring, fifth conviction - 1 year in the county workhouse and year of monitoring and at some point, maybe the tenth conviction, the offender becomes property of the state, never to practice their terrorism on the public again. And, I wouldn't mind if the system reset the time, if a person went 5 years or more without a conviction.
The other solution is to remove the cancer. What if we offered to buy a bus ticket to another city for those offenders who have already been convicted numerous times? We could even pack them a nice little sack lunch. In the past month or so, officers at the RTCC have identified some thugs breaking into cars and by coordinating with officers in the field, made several arrests. Each of these guys had been arrested over twenty times (one guy 85 times). What if we were to take them to the bus station and send them to San Francisco? The thugs would probably love it, the people of Memphis would love it, and the people of San Francisco can always use another homeless guy. That is not just a win-win, it's a win-win-win!
If you happen to see this post and feel so inclined, you can click here to find your representative and/or senator and send them an email.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Driving down the road in Joplin, Mo reveals evidence of a terrible storm and the carnage it brought. It looks like a movie set for a war picture where bombs have devastated the area. People and vehicles scurry everywhere trying to just clear the debris and sort things out. Houses and cars with big red Xs are everywhere, indicating those have already been checked for possible survivors. You wonder how everyone in the community wasn't killed. So far, the death toll is under 150 people and the missing is down to under 40, so it could have been much, much worse.

One thing that comes to mind is how quickly people step up during times of trouble. American flags have been hoisted everywhere, indicating our American spirit. We are ALWAYS there to help, particularly the first responders. But, sometimes first responders need first responders, which is the reason for my trip to the Joplin area. I wanted to see how bad it is and make contact with some of the officers. I can now say, it is as bad as what I saw after Katrina. It may not be as large an area, but it is every bit as terrible in the effected areas.

While I was enroute to Joplin PD I happened to drive down the street where the Duquesne,MO Police Department is located, so I stopped to see what we could do for them. They were holding a briefing with some volunteers and sending out teams on atvs to assist the citizens who were going through the rubble they once called home. I met the chief of this small department and told him we were there to help. He asked me to take a ride and survey the damage. While we were driving down one street, a citizen flagged us down. She wanted to know if the chief would bury her pet. He never flinched. . . "sure I will. I'd be honored", he said. I got my video camera out and recorded the moment, all the while thinking this is what we do. It's not just chasing bad guys, sometimes it's lifting a kid out of a deep hole, pulling people from wrecks, or even taking time to give someone a hug. Here is the video

We will be raising funds for the first responder families in the Joplin area over the next week or so, taking donations, selling BBQ shoulders, etc. I will be posting more about it as we move forward and we will be doing a press conference to garner more support. Please do what you can for these officers and feel free to spread the word. Pray for the victims and the volunteers in Joplin.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

This week's "thug" is actually now THE most arrested person in Shelby County. Kimberly, or Kim as the officers like to call her, Johnson, has been booked into the Shelby County jail 224 times. Kimberly replaces Larry Wayne West as the number 1 most arrested person because, unfortunately, Larry is no longer with us. Larry had almost lapped Kimberly, as he had been booked 449 times into the "glamour slammer", but alas, Larry met his demise while trying to navigate, of all streets - Getwell. It seems he didn't see the motorcycle, and his last act was an attempted street crossing...I don't think Larry ever got well.

Meanwhile, back to Kim. This "lady" has been very active, and I noted in many of the affidavits, she is described by the arresting officers as a "mental consumer." I've never really liked that term, I much prefer wacko because I like truth in advertising. If you've been arrested a gazillion times, yep, you are certifiably crazy. Kim does not dissapoint us in that regard. Here are some of the charges that have been lodged against her:

Two Thousand was a banner year for Kim, but I'm afraid she is slowing down to a crawl. She has only been arrested three times this year. Just for fun, let's look at how many times Kim has been arrested, by year since she began her "excellent adventure" in 1989:

In reading through several of her more recent arrest affidavits, I noticed she likes to call 911 and do things like axe them for $3.00. She has also provided entertainment at several local hospitals, where she cussed everyone in sight, and when placed in the back of a squad car, attempted to kick the doors off. The doctors said she wasn't crazy enough to be committed.... Hmmmm...Memphis we have a problem! You see Kim is one of those people who may be a little bit crazy, but then again... who isn't. The courts think she is too crazy for jail, and the hospitals say she is a criminal, not crazy. I'm thinking it is possible, I mean it is within the realm of possibility that she is BOTH!

So, the question is what to do about Kim and her like-minded pals. This is the question for the legislature, the judges and everyone else who might have a say in this. Unleashing urban terrorists/wackos on the unsuspecting public is just wrong. People who will not do right, crazy or not, need to go to a special place, particularly when they committ the offense of "failure to do right" a couple hundred times.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A month or so ago Brian Elder came to the Memphis Police Department's Real Time Crime Center for a tour. I showed him some of the things we are doing and took him for a ride in the Prowler (license plate reader). I think I can safely say he was impressed. I told him we were having a major impact on crime in Memphis because of the strategies we have developed, including my own CyberWatch program, Blue Crush and the Prowlers, but none of that would have been possible if we didn't have a director who "gets it." Director Godwin has been a Godsend to us because he has pushed for better use of technology and he has listened to our plans, then allowed us the freedom to develop things other agencies haven't even thought of.

So, having said that, let's talk about this "thug thang". I used to do a weekly radio spot with my good friend, Mike Fleming, on AM 600, where we spotlighted people who had been arrested a minimum of 100 times. We had 140 people to pull from and on more than one occassion, we had a repeat spotlight on a repeater because they had ... yep... repeated. After about a year, I felt that I had done about all I could with that, as I could not see us getting any traction with the state legislature (everything has a bogus fiscal note attached to it), so I told Mike I was going to opt out. We had done all we could do.

During Brian's visit to the RTCC, I told him about having done the "TTOTW" with Mike and he suggested we resurrect it for his show. I told him I would think about it, and after talking to a few local legislators, I decided this might be a good platform to try to get a sentencing matrix implemented for TN. I know we have an "overcrowding" issue, but I'm not just talking about throwing everyone in jail. The real objective is to get people to stop this criminal behavior, or motivate them to move somewhere else. I contend that for minor crimes a person should never get the same or a lesser penalty for any subsequent arrests. I also think there should be a threshold number of CONVICTIONS that enact a "life penalty". That's right, a life penalty, as in you will spend the rest of your life in prison because you have demonstrated you will not function in society as anything other than a miscreant. What that number might be is up to the legislature. I think we should look at 10 convictions as the threshold, but make it 20 if you want. We simply need a definite number and a definite response to this anarchy.

I thought we would kick this off with a bang by spotlighting a person who was about as much a desperado as I could find. I think I have achieved that with this weeks thug. Our Thursday, Thug of the Week is a guy who has a lengthy track record (42 arrests), happens to have outstanding warrants and has been identified as being a member of the Gangster Disciples.

Keep in mind this is a bad guy. Do NOT try to apprehend - if you encounter him. Call the MPD (545-2677) or Crimestoppers (528-cash)

Friday, March 05, 2010

The LPR cars are doing great. We had two arrests today by officers on felony drug and weapon charges. Dude is just driving around, when BAMB, the PO-leese zero in. Here's the first one. I'll have to post the second later because the clerk's office doesn't have everything ready to post just yet. You can check the jail for Michael Neely and see what they have later.

Friday, January 01, 2010

The Memphis Police Department had a banner year in 2009! Part I Crime (the serious stuff) was down almost 13 percent for the year and 18% since 2006. We will have to work very hard to beat these numbers next year. If we can just get the judges to stop handing out light sentences, the legislature to enact tougher laws, with truth in sentencing, and the prosecutors to - resist bonds on repeat offenders and not plea bargain those repeat offenders cases, we can have the same kind of results this year!

Monday, November 30, 2009

I was saddened yesterday when I heard four police officers were murdered in Washington state. . .

Last May, my wife and I were in the Seattle area visiting my daughter and grandkids and happened to take a ferry over to an island off the coast of Washington, just north of Seattle. We walked around a little town and stopped into a coffee shop to buy some local coffee for a friend back home. It was there I ran into four Washington State Troopers and struck up a conversation. My experience has been that all cops are the same, no matter where you encounter them. They are not supermen, just hard working people who think they can make a difference. I would be willing to bet the officers who were gunned down were cut from the same bolt of cloth. When I heard of the shooting, I immediately flashed back to those officers I met in the coffee shop.

It appears that I accurately predicted the assailant would be a "mental patient" who was "off his meds". I was able to predict that because it has happened so many times. This is not news. It is a scenario that has played out many times, sometimes involving cops, and sometimes just ordinary citizens. The fact that these people have been unleashed on the public is disturbing to the cops and the public, but not to the politicians. I once wrote a paper, in college, about how the governor should not be allowed to usurp the judicial system with pardons and/or clemency, because it flies in the face of a system that has been painstakingly crafted, over several hundred years, if not longer. In Tennessee, we even had a governor who sold pardons, at least until he went to prison. I think he just wanted to drive my point home, and he did. Now, enter Mike Huckabee. He is scurrying around now trying to place the blame on the parole board.

When do we get due process? When do we stop spending bazillions on thugs who can not or will not do right? Personally, I would be in favor of dropping these miscreants off on a remote island in the middle of the ocean. No cost, no chance of future problems, no problem.

Now, it appears we are being told the state of Tennessee is going to unleash 4,000 inmates back into the community. They say they will be non-violent, and coming to the end of their sentences. I say, if that's true, publish their names, their rap sheets and their release dates. I doubt they will do that, and I also doubt they are telling the truth. If the state wants to release some inmates, they should look at releasing the very oldest inmates. Data shows most criminals start to cease criminal activity, or at least don't get arrested as much, after they turn 40. So, that's not hard to figure. I'd rather have a 60 year old guy who killed his wife's boyfriend than a 25 year old who will come back and terrorize the hood.

Here's some more fuel for the fire. The state's own data shows that 50% of the people who are given probation and parole are likely to repeat within 4 years. The number for people who serve their full sentence is half that. I know they never let data get in the way of a decision, but you'd think this time they would make an exception.

Friday, November 13, 2009

This week we will begin deployment of the first five License Plate Reader cars (LPR). The cars you see in the pictures below are our own design. Initially, the LPR vendors recommended we outfit each car with four fixed, magnet mounted cameras, at a cost of around $12,000.00 each. The officers would have had to run cables through the back windows, and reposition the cameras etc. Our development team, which consists of my brother, Major Jim Harvey, Lt Ken Shackleford and myself decided we wanted a camera mounted on a pan tilt system, which could be controlled from inside the car (a good cop never gets cold, hungry or wet). We think we have designed the optimal system for law enforcement. I would not be surprised if we won another award next year on this one. Starting next week, we should be getting 10-12 cars per week on the streets, which will allow us to have over 70 of these cars working by January 1.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

I recently received a copy of the letter officer Ian Seivewright wrote just before taking his own life. He hadn't been with the Sheriff's Office very long, only a few years. He had no way of knowing what to expect, or how to respond to what was happening. If you aren't prepared to deal with the "system", you will definitely have problems. When an officer first hires in, they expect all the leadership to be the best officers, and that they will be honest and trustworthy. I only wish it were so at the SCSO.

From the letter, it seems Ian had called out for help on several occassions, but nobody cared enough to listen, or maybe the ones who could help didn't think it was in there best interest.

The sheriff claimed he was going to rid the SCSO of the "culture of corruption" when he first took office, back in 2002. As I recall, that was his mantra. There was a culture of corruption at the SCSO and he was going to clean house and make everything better.

Ian Seivewright tried to enlist Mark's support several times, according to the letter I have. It seems there are also several recordings Ian made over the past several years. I would hope whoever has them would get them to the news media and the news media would air them. Here's an excerpt of Ian's letter where he tells about how he felt Mark covered up for people who were on his team:"So Then I called The Shelby County Sheriff, Mark Luttrell, and spoke with him three different times. He told me that he was going to get to the bottom of it, which he did…..made it go away, that is one hell of a SHERIFF OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!! LOL, Right!!!!! I hope that the recording of are meeting in his office and twice on the phone don’t come out to show the line of s__t he was talking. "

Ian never really had a chance. He wasn't on the "A team", so if there was a situation between him and one of those who was connected, he would be odd man out. This is how it works at the SCSO. Ian spoke of how the administration deals with someone they want to shut up. Here's another quote from his letter on that subject:"I know that while everyone is reading this the Sheriff’s Dept is looking hard for something to discredit me, LOL. Guess what nothing there except stories that you better make up quick. I have had 1 (one) Write-Up and 1 (one) day no pay for the deer. I hope they are working hard to make up some. So I come out of the class in the top 3, I was #1 or #2 on the list of highest stats for the shift except for the last few months. I have had perfect attendance for several years except when I hurt my ankle off-duty. So why do I get over looked on internal jobs that get posted. That’s right I’m not connected and I called out the Chief son for misconduct. More Misconduct would be reported if it wasn’t that everyone knows that they will have a hard time the rest of their career. They see what happens if you do the right thing."

Ian was right. They tried to pull the same stuff on me when I ran against Luttrell for Sheriff as a write in. Mark was also right, the culture of corruption needs to be fixed. However, if you are a part of that culture, you cannot fix it. I am right too. It's time for a new Sheriff.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

A few days after my last blog posting about the 3000 inmates being given early release, I got an email saying TDOC said the news reports were wrong. As usual, we are not getting the truth. We also haven't seen a new report with clarifications on how many inmates are being given early release, or what type crimes these inmates are guilty of. Some say they think it's a good idea to release "non violent drug users." I say, we don't have people in prison who only have a charge that is equal to non-violent drug use, it is more likely that they were drug dealers, who didn't happen to have an associated charge that was violent in nature. Here's some even more disturbing data from TDOC: (click to see the report - release trends....)

As was seen in the 2001 report, recidivism rates vary dramatically by type of release.♦ Felons released to parole:♦ 23% 1-year failure rate: of 2,962 releases in 2002, 686 returned within one year;♦ 41% 2-year failure rate: of 3,193 releases in 2001, 1,314 returned within two years;♦ 50% 3-year failure rate: of 3,998 releases in 2000, 1,984 returned within three years.♦ Felons released to probation:♦ 30% 1-year failure rate: of 5,607 releases in 2002, 1,674 returned within one year;♦ 44% 2-year failure rate: of 5,228 releases in 2001, 2,289 returned within two years;♦ 49% 3-year failure rate: of 5,436 releases in 2000, 2,684 returned within three years.♦ Felons released to expiration of sentence:♦ 8% 1-year failure rate: of 4,408 releases in 2002, 336 returned within one year;♦ 18% 2-year failure rate: of 4,025 releases in 2001, 722 returned within two years;♦ 24% 3-year failure rate: of 3,981 releases in 2000, 966 returned within three years.

If you have data that says you are twice as likely to recommit crimes if you are given probation or parole, than if you serve your full sentence, why would the state give anyone probation or parole? The data says you can predict a failure rate of 50%, within the first three years of being released, if the prisoner doesn't serve out the full term of their sentence, but only 25% if the prisoner is incarcerated for the full term of the sentence.

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Commercial Appeal had a story last Friday about the state releasing 3000 inmates back into the community before their time was finished. The story said they were releasing non-violent drug USERS. I don't think so. Since when do we send drug USERS to prison. If a person isn't charged with extreme stuff, they don't go to prison. Most likely, they are talking about "non-violent" drug offenders, as in drug dealers who haven't been "charged" with trying to kill anyone. Even so, we have data that says after three years 50% of those released on probation or parole return to prison. If they stay in prison until the expiration of their sentence, they are 50% less likely to repeat, as only 24% return to prison.

If it is true that people are half as likely to return to prison, why would anyone want to release any of these folks before the expiration of their sentence? Oh, I forgot, it's the government.

Monday, July 20, 2009

It's heartening to see some of my work coming to fruition. I've been ranting and raving about our dysfunctional system for the past several years, and now the media is finally picking up on it. So far, most of the television stations have done stories on the problem, Mike Fleming and I did a "Thug of the Week" radio spot for over a year, and the CA is going to do an exhaustive story on repeaters and crime, in Shelby County, some time this fall. Senator Mark Norris and Representative Curry Todd got the Administrative Office of the Tennessee Supreme Court involved and I am working with them and the Criminal Court Clerk's Office on crunching the data.

I think the repeater issue is getting out there and is on the minds of the news media, the citizens, the cops and hopefully the judges, judicial commissioners, the AG's office will take a closer look at these Urban Terrorists before allowing them back on the streets. I'm not saying people who have only been arrested a few times should not have a bond, but those who have been arrested 10 or more times should be sitting on cold steel, contemplating the error of their ways.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Director Godwin sent me an email one day last month with a request that I take a look at some software he had seen at the Chief's conference. I took a look and was shocked at what I saw. The software he wanted me to review is what we announced today for our joint effort with CrimeStoppers. Heretofore, we never had the capability of asking a tipster follow-up questions. Once they got off the phone, if they didn't call back and give more information, we didn't get any more info.

This issue has been resolved by tipsoft's application. Now, when a tipster sends a tip via the web, email or texting, their tip is sent to a clearing-house in Canada (think untouchable by US lawyers), then the tip is transmitted to the RTCC. Officers can send a message back to the tipster when they decide more information is needed. This will allow us to solve crimes in a more timely manner, and since our information will be much better, we will solve more crimes.

I was already in the middle of writing an application for tracking CrimeStopper tips and the disposition of each tip, but now ther is no need. Not only does tipsoft's application handle our needs, it makes this two way, anonymous communication possible. We have already made enhancements to the tipsoft software and made suggestions for other future enhancements.

This is just another example of the MPD pushing the envelope and thereby making the city safer!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Dallas, TX 5-18-2009The Memphis Police Department won the top award for "excellence in law enforcement and information technology" at the 33rd annual IACP Conference in Dallas Texas. Director Godwin said, "we believe we are developing cutting edge technology at the MPD that will prove to be a model for the nation. From our video surveillance, to Blue Crush, to the Real Time Crime Center, to license plate reader technology and beyond, we are pushing the envelope and extending technology, thereby making us much more effective."

Director Larry Godwin, flanked on the left by RTCC System Manager John Harvey,Sgt. Ken Shackleford and on the right by Dr Richard Janikowski, Technology Manager - Major Jim Harvey

Click to enlarge photoThe Memphis Police Department received the top honor for excellence in law enforcement and information technology from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, after all contestants entries were reviewed! This award is the result of the hard work of the men and women of the MPD, the director's leadership and vision, the department's Information Technology staff, and the Real Time Crime Center, plus Dr Janikowski and his associates from the University of Memphis. Detractors say Blue Crush is just a publicity stunt, but that just isn't true. Call it what you like, but "Blue Crush" is simply a business approach to law enforcement. Determine where your problems are, then deploy your resources accordingly.

What is not being reported, is the impact of the MPD on crime in the city of Memphis and even the surrounding areas. The city of Memphis is getting better every day, as it relates to crime, while the metro area is not. Many of our citizens don't know of the good work and the success we've had fighting crime, because the news media has not been reporting this. What has been reported is that the city of Memphis is the 2nd most dangerous city in America. The facts show that the metro area is 2nd, and Memphis has fallen from 6th (three years ago) to 14th. The media, including Forbes Magazine, has been applying the metro area statistics to the city of Memphis. This does nothing for the image of Memphis, and it also dishonors the work we have done.

Here is the Metro Area Map - A Nine County Area which includes Tipton, Fayette, and Shelby in Tennessee, Crittenden in Arkansas, and Tate, Tunica, Desoto and Marshall counties in Mississippi. This includes reported crimes in Covington, Millington,Arlington,Bartlett,Germantown, Collierville, Sommerville, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Southaven, West Memphis, etc. I think those areas are having an uptick in crime due to Blue Crush pushing them out of Memphis. Additionally, the MPD is showing a year-to-date reduction of almost 10%.

The MPD is leading the way in fighting crime through the increased use and development of technology. We expect to fall much farther in the "Most Dangerous Cities" ranking thisNovember, as we continue pursuing excellence in what we do!

Sunday, May 03, 2009

The MPD's LPR camera cars are working. Here is just one of the success stories. I have edited the officers report narrative.

On 04/30/09 at 20:44 hours, officers responded to Recovery/Foreign with Arrest. The Reporting Officer advised while running the LPR (license plate reader) car at Jackson and Buchanan the defendant was driving a stolen Veh. #1: Toyota Camry with TN tag XXXXXXX. Officer's got behind the def who went E/B Vernon and bailed out of the vehicle in front of 3409 Vernon. Officers caught the defendant, after a short foot chase at Vernon and National, where he was taken into custody without further incident. Dispatch advised the Veh. #1: Toyota Camry was signal w(stolen) out of Millington TN R&I#0904000095MI NIC#V972681319. Officer J Johnson 4414 notified station b who notified Millington PD. The defendant also had a warrant for burglary to M/V warrant#08033621, and a suspended license for failure to satisfy citation 120304 . The defendant was transported to 201 Poplar felony response for further investigation.

I was dismayed to see the CA and every other Memphis news outlet reporting the mis-information that came from Forbes Magazine. It said Memphis was ranked the 2nd most dangerous city in the US, but the fact is; they were misquoting the report. The report (from CQ Press) actually shows the metro area as 2nd most dangerous. That encompasses nine counties, which happen to include Memphis. If you look at the most dangerous cities list, Memphis is ranked 14th, which is a precipitous fall from being number 6 in 2006 and number 8 in 2007 and we are cautiosly optimistic that we will fall even further when the numbers come in this November. As of this morning, our daily tracking showed we are down 10% (year to date) over last year and almost 15% ytd over 2006.

I'm not saying 14th is where we want to be, but it does the officers of the Memphis Police Department a terrible disservice to report that their work is having no effect. Crime is down 10%, in Memphis, year to date, and that is also not being reported. How about correcting the story and reporting that we have made great strides in interdicting crime in Memphis with the same vigor you have mis-reported the facts? The MPD is doing a great job at taking criminals off the streets. The courts, judges and legislature could do much, much more to help keep them off the streets, but they chose not to. The judges hand out bonds on people who have been arrested 10,20,30 or more times as though they were first offenders. The legislature claims there is a "fiscal note" on every piece of anti-crime legislation, using numbers they have pulled from a hat, and the prosecutors appear to be going along with these low bonds.

The MPD has been working about as hard, and smart as we know how, and it appears our work has paid off, even if the media doesn't want to report it. We will continue to test new systems, keep what works, and discard what doesn't. We are pushing the envelope on technology and it is making a difference. I'll more to say about that in the upcoming weeks, when several of us make a trip to Dallas to accept an international award for excellence in Information Technology and Law Enforcement!

The Republicans have always talked about being tough on crime, but their actions belie their words. They will not be passing anything significant this year. It looks to me like all the legislature is of the same party . . . chickens!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

My chief sent an email this week that showed a guy who had been arrested 17 times, mostly for burglary. I glanced down at the name and bells started ringing.

My old friend, William Fletcher, was back in jail. I first encountered William when I was assigned to the detective bureau of the SCSO, back in 2002. I was going over offense reports when I saw one that said a m/w had been seen carrying a neighbor's lawn mower to his car, a red, ford, taurus, license number xxx-xxx (I can't remember the details of the car or tag). I ran the tag and found out it was a rental car and had been rented to Mr Fletcher's mother. I called the neighbors on both sides of his mom's house and found out his name, and that he had been arrested numerous times, and would probably be good for several burglaries. By the time I visited Mr Fletcher, I had compiled a pretty thick folder on him.

I knocked on the door and asked him to come outside to talk to me. Once he was outside, I led him back to my cruiser, which was parked behind a red ford, taurus bearing license number xxx-xxx and proceeded to ask him if he knew anything about the theft of a lawnmower. He said no, he didn't know anything about it. I said, "well, let me read you something" and proceeded to read the narrative about a neighbor seeing a m/w taking a lawnmower and putting it in the trunk of a red, ford, taurus bearing license number xxx-xxx. William didn't look too good. I said, "do you think might remember something now?" William said, "do you have a light?"

Long story - short. William confessed to 100 burglaries and since I was moving out of the bureau to go to Information Systems, he started working with another detective who used him to bust some fencing operations and pawn shops. William knew the system and he was working it to his benefit. He has been arrested several more times since I arrested him, yet he always seems to skate on by the punishment. Even now, after 18 arrests, he only needs 1,500.00 to get out of jail because somebody has set his bond at 15,000.00. That's right, 10% gets you out, and if he gets out, guess what he will be doing? Yep, stealing your stuff and doing dope.

Here's the honest-to-God truth. We don't really need tougher laws, we need tougher judges and magistrates. The law says they can consider past history in setting bond, yet they continue to unleash these terrorists on us. The sad thing is this isn't the most egregious case. Look back on my previous posts and check out the guy who had been arrested 38 times and was given as $25,000.00 bond by Germantown. He made bond within hours of being jailed, and is due in Criminal Court in May for cooking his own meth. To these magistrates and judges I say may your handiwork result in your own destruction!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

We've all heard about California's 3 strikes law. It is sooooo harsh. Three felony convictions and that's it. Well, here in Tennessee, we have 449 strikes and "that was a nice try, swing away some more." Our most arrested thug reached 449 arrests before he succumbed to lifestyle and ceased to exist. Now that our legislature is in the hands of the Republicans, surely something will be done to stop these "urban terrorists" from roaming our streets. Yeah right! Personally, I can't see much difference in the Republicans and the Democrats. Neither party is concerned about citizen safety. They are more concerned with "fiscal notes", which are attached to any legislation, using numbers that are pulled out of the air, than they are about your safety. What is the cost of allowing these miscreants to roam the streets? How many people have to be robbed, raped, bludgeoned and/or murdered before something is done that stops this and stops it now?

This year, there are several "tough" anti-crime bills in the legislature, and most have been sent to sub committees where they can die. They want us to think they are doing something because they are going to enhance the punishment for aggravated burglary. They might as well go ahead and make it apply only to burglaries where the criminal is left handed, and perpetrates the crime on any Thursday, between 5:00 and 5:01pm, on any leap year!

How about a bill that says, if you are convicted 10 times you are no longer going to be free. (We have to start with 10 because there are thousands) Just like New York state, our thugs will see the light when some are sentenced to life in prison with no parole and flee to Arkansas, Mississippi, and other more criminal friendly places.

Here's another in a long line of cases that is guaranteed to tick you off, if you are a law abiding, tax paying, stand up citizen. Last weekend our new License Plate Reader car was used to detect a felon, namely Irby Kimble. Irby was arrested in Frayser on a Germantown warrant for identity theft, fraud and theft of property $1,000 to $10,000. He was transferred to Germantown PD officers and they took him to their jail where he was given a $25,000 bond. So, for $2,500.00 he got out within a few hours. Well, everyone deserves a bond, right? NOT! This guy is also due in Shelby County Criminal court in May for manufacturing Meth and other drug charges. He has been arrested 38 times for things like aggravated burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, carrying a pistol, and on and on and on. Someone needs to explain to me why the judges haven't looked at this thug's record and denied bond. Is there anyone who thinks this guy isn't cooking dope, burglarizing and robbing people if he is free? Is anyone listening? Are you mad as hell yet! Am I a voice in the wilderness? Contact your representatives and tell them how you feel, if you want to help fight this insanity!

Monday, March 23, 2009

We did a press conference on the new ALPR camera cars today and things went well. They went so well, I think tomorrow you will see the "true power of the force." I'm just going to post this guy's picture today, and you can watch tne news for the follow up tomorrow.....

Friday, March 06, 2009

We've been talking about repeat offenders, or I have been, for several years now. The question I would like answered is this, at what point do we say a person can no longer be allowed to roam freely among the productive people? Do you think there is any chance that a person with 10,20,30 or more arrests will change their ways? I seriously doubt it. I don't mind giving people a few, or even 10 strikes, but I think anything more should make them become "property" of the state! I know, that seems harsh to some, but there has to be a line in the sand that cannot be crossed. Where do you think it should be, or should we continue giving them "one more last-last chance?

Monday, March 02, 2009

Snow and crime apparently don't mix. This morning I received my daily update on crime stats from our analysts and it drove home the point that snow is a good thing!Part I crimes were down 40 percent - for 1 day, over the same time last year, and 45% since 2006! Actually, we're doing much better driving crime down, and I know we'll never have a sustained decrease like this, but over several years we will have a continued decrease in crime.

Blue Crush, RTCC, CyberWatch, citizen watch groups, etc all have a hand in driving these numbers down. Be sure to watch for my report on the LPR cars and what we are doing with them over the next few weeks. We are 13 days away from launching the first "Stalker"!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Well, it's no longer the "Death Star". I guess that is a little too politically incorrect, so we will have to give these LPR (License Plate Reader) cars a different monicker. I'm thinking Crime Probe, in keeping with the Star Wars theme. Last night, Sgt Ken Shackelford and I were out in one of the prototype probes near Poplar and Highland. We were watching cars go by and listening to the audible alerts - whenever a tag was read. The license plate is checked to see if the vehicl has been reported as stolen, then we check the local MVR (motor vehicle records) table for a match, then warrants, sex offenders, etc. etc. etc.

If we get a match on the tag, but the tag has expired, we get an audible alert. We get a different alert when a sex offender is possibly detected, another on a possible warrant, and . . . I think you get the picture. The sound we really want to hear, though, is a siren. When that happens, the name on the warrant and the name on the car have a match, and so it went last night. While listening to the computer sound like a Jack in the Box, as the cars went by, we heard the siren.

I'll bet Terrence Jones has been as nervous as a mouse in a lions den since 2005, when OCU did a Knock and Talk at his mother's house and found a bunch of marijuanna. A warrant for his arrest was obtained, but he has not been arrested since then. Imagine his surprise when we blocked his car in and Shack put him under arrest! He was a little anxious, until he was placed in the back seat of the squad car and I informed him he was now Notorious - not so B.I.G. I told Terrence that he was THE first arrest generated by the LPR/ MPD Crime Probe. His eyes brightened as he pondered the meaning of his newfound infamy. Terrence had a stack of CDs in his hand, which he said were cut by his "little buddy". I suggested he get him to do a wrap on being the first arrestee of the MPD Crime Probes. Coming soon to a record stow near you!

A word of warning to the people of Memphis and Shelby County - keep your tags up to date and avoid the fines and court costs! The MPD will be putting over 100 Probes on the street this year.

We have deployed a "skycop" trailer in the Poplar Plaza shopping center because Blue Crush data indicated a problem with cars being broken into at that location. The RTCC is monitoring the cameras as I type.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Okay, I admit it. My strong suite is not doing graphics, it is dealing with data. That means I need help on the graphical side. I need some better looking icons for our maps to denote the following:

BurglarsParoleesSex Offenders WarrantsFelonsScofflawsGangsters

I created the icon below and I think it looks ok, but I would much rather have someone volunteer to do some custom icons for the MPD's maps. If anyone out there woujld like to volunteer their talents . . . I would love to take advantage of your skills. I've always heard the "form follows function". Well, the functionality is there, but I think the form could be better. Anyone interested in helping?

Sunday, December 28, 2008

A friend of mine, who operates under the nom de plume of Wintermute, brought my attention to my current Thug of the Week. It seems Tim Smith is trying to find himself. This must be the case because, he's not really sure who he is. Over the 39 times he's been arrested, he has forgotten his own name on several occasions.

He has given the following names:KENNEDY,TIMOTHYCLARK,DONALDHARRIS,DARRYLKENNEDY,JEROMEKENNEDY,WAYNELEACH,CEDRICLEACH,WAYNESMITH,TIMDOE,JOHNSMITH,DAEELYSMITH,DARRLYTATE,DARRELLCHUM,ROBERTKENNEDY,DEWAYNEANDERSON,DARRYL

Tim's latest arrest, unfortunately for him, involves a person who has some notoriety. Gail Jones Carson, is a fairly high profile person in this city and she had the good sense to have a security system installed at her home when Tim or what's his name, came calling. The arrest affidavit says Tim, we'll go ahead and just call him Tim, was found standing in front of 2906 Shady Vista, wearing the same clothes as they viewed in Ms Carson's security system. This bolsters my theory that most of these burglars live within 1.5 mile of their victims. Tim lives .8 miles according to Google.

In a previous life, I used to direct the effort for the midnight shift of the SCSO's Fugitive Bureau, and we spent many hours in this area, particularly in Tim's apartment complex.

Ok, so the point is this, these thugs thrive on chaos, and our "justice" system assists them in this endeavor. Consider this - prior to this arrest, Tim was arrested in 2007 and held to state on the following charges (all on one arrest) AGGRAVATED ASSAULTBURGLARY - MOTOR VEHICLETHEFT OF PROPERTY $10000-$60000INTENTIONALLY EVADE ARREST IN AUTORECKLESS DRIVINGLEAVE SCENE OF ACCIDENT INV DEATHTHEFT OF PROPERTY $500 OR LESS

I don't know what happened on the case, but after it went to Criminal Court he entered a guilty plea and got five years probation. That's right, five years probation, with all seven of the charges rolled into one, as far as the sentence goes. Now, that is a stiff sentence. I mean, five whole years! If that won't keep you on the straight and narrow, I don't know what will!

How could anyone hand down such an injustice? This guy should have never had the opportunity to commit this latest crime, because he should have been in the pen! Maybe the judge was concerned about overcrowding the prisons? I don't know about that, but I do know something has got to give. Now is the time to get upset about this so called "justice system". It's anything but justice. The good citizens of Memphis and the surrounding area deserve a better deal than this. Those of us who strive to be good citizens, paying our ridiculous share of taxes, and trying to raise our kids deserve a safe place to dwell. Allowing these thugs to roam the streets, even though they are on "probation", is just wrong.

Please join our fight to change the laws so the miscreants who abound will be sequested in a "safe" place, like prison! Follow this blog and contact your representatives. Here is a link to a webpage that will let you find your representative, senator and the governor. Please be sure to let them know we cannot tolerate the same old, same old. It's time to modify these criminals behavior, or warehouse them.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas is a wonderful time of year with gifts given and received. However, many people like to think we still live in those halcyon days of old. Remember when you could leave the door unlocked, and the keys in the ignition, and after Christmas, you could put the trash out on the curb, including the boxes your new 50" flat screen TV came in? Well, maybe we didn't have flat screen TVs, but boxes the loot came in anyway.

Guess what, those days are over. DO NOT put those boxes on the curb, or anywhere else that might let someone see what you got. If you put them out there, you might as well put up a sign telling all burglars to come and get it!

Now that the shopping has been done, you might be returning things to the store. Yep, street survival 101, says don't keep packages in the car, keep them in the trunk. Also, don't keep anything in the car a thief might want to take. Leaving change in the console is also not a good idea. A crack addict sees that as something he can accumulate and finally by another rock. What does he care about your broken window and the $500.00 deductible? Keep the interior of your car extremely clean! Heeding this advice can save you a lot of misery.

Oh well, be safe and maybe you can have a . . . Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I am announcing my application to the Republican Senators and Representatives of the Shelby Delegation to be appointed to the Shelby County Election Commission. Personally, I don’t believe the Election Commission should be a partisan commission, but it is what it is. In a perfect world, people would step up and do the right thing, irrespective of any factors other than doing what is right.

If appointed to the election commission, I pledge to make every effort to ensure the right thing gets done, without regard to party. Many of you may know about some of the things I’ve been involved in with the election commission, starting with finding the felonious voters, non-resident voters and finally the deceased voters in the Terry Roland v Ophelia Ford race a few years ago. I have also worked with the Commercial Appeal and other news agencies to get the information before the public, after finding improprieties with the voting process. Finally, I have been analyzing the voter database and for several years, cross checking it against the Social Security Death Index by using a program I wrote. I’ve also uncovered several people who appear to have voted more than once, and many other irregularities, then reported them to the news, and the administrator of elections. I have never gotten a reply from the administrator, and to my knowledge, neither has the news media.

I believe I am uniquely qualified to be a member of the Election Commission because of my background in computers, databases, and my 31 plus years in law enforcement, not to mention my history with the voter database and the EC. I retired from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office a couple of years ago as a Lieutenant, field commander, in the Fugitive Bureau. I also worked the detective bureau and most other areas of the department as well as the Attorney General’s office for six years, as a criminal investigator. I started the MIS bureau at the SCSO (Management Information Systems), headed the Research and Development bureau and worked for several years in the Information Systems bureau. While working in the IS bureau, Microsoft did a case study on my (W.A.S.P.) program - touting the cost savings and efficiency of the program. I also developed the jail website, the warrant website and the A.L.E.R.T. program, which has achieved national acclaim.

I understand the position is paid $1,000.00 per month which, if appointed, I pledge to donate to charity. I am not in this to make money, just to make a difference. I appreciate your consideration in this matter.

Please join the group at Facebook and let the members of the Shelby Delegation know your feelings.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Google has released Google Streetview for Memphis recently. They are currently photographing the entire county, which will take a while. Even so, I've already added it into our "Kiosk" at the Memphis Police Department. Officers who are working up a warrant will be able to pull the address up and see what the neighborhood looks like, intersecting streets, houses on either side of the target address, etc. This is going to be a great tool for cops!

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. Double click the image and then see how you can turn the picture 360 degrees, or move down the street, etc.: